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Young scientists explained their work at the PhD Event. In the photo (from right): Anja Bielefeld presenting a poster about her doctoral thesis, Susanne Scholtyssek, HR Manager, Volkswagen Technical Development, Stephan Wolf, Deputy Chairman of the Group Works Council, and Josef Baumert, Board Member for Production and Logistics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Photo: Detlev Wecke

PhD Event focuses on e-mobility and digitalization

PhD Event focuses on e-mobility and digitalization

Volkswagen offers committed young scientists exciting research topics and top working conditions

Some 700 specialists visit the 13th PhD Event at the MobileLifeCampus in Wolfsburg

345 young scientists are researching for a PhD in the Volkswagen Group

Some 700 specialist visitors found out more about the latest research projects at the Volkswagen Group’s 2018 PhD Event. The motto of this, the 13th Group-wide PhD Event, was “Researching Towards Tomorrow”. A total of 345 young scientists are currently working on their doctoral theses in the Volkswagen Group, and 94 of them presented their work today at the MobileLifeCampus in Wolfsburg. The focus topics were e-mobility, digitalization, lightweight design, environmental and resource efficiency.

Susanne Scholtyssek, HR Manager, Volkswagen Technical Development, said: “Volkswagen is driving forward its transformation from a carmaker to a mobility provider. Digitalization, connected vehicles and e-mobility are important future topics for us.They have long been a fact of daily life for our developers and software experts. The Group and its innovative brands offer committed young scientists exciting research topics and excellent working conditions. In turn, our PhD students make a valuable contribution to science, industry and Volkswagen with their research.”

Stephan Wolf, Deputy Chairman of the Group Works Council, said: “We are living at a time when human knowledge is advancing faster than ever. Our entire industry is undergoing a revolution the like of which we have never experienced before. In this situation we need young, fresh minds that inject new ideas, new drive and new insights into our company. That is why the Works Council is committed to enabling as many PhD students as possible to join Volkswagen on a permanent basis once they have finished their doctorate.”

The Volkswagen Group and its brands cooperate throughout the world with renowned universities and research institutes in very diverse disciplines and are supporting 345 young women and men working on their doctorates. PhD students from the Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Audi, MAN, Porsche, Scania und SEAT brands presented their work at the MobileLifeCampus in Wolfsburg. They are researching in the fields of drive technology, procurement, electronics, vehicle technology, IT & logistics, communication, economics, HR and organization, production, quality assurance, the environment, sales, marketing & trends and materials. Experienced scientists, young scientists and the professors supervising their work exchanged views on the latest research findings in 27 specialist presentations, and during tours about topics such as e-mobility, virtual vehicle development and Industry 4.0.

The presentations included work on optimizing micro-depot locations for urban parcel services from the field of the environment and economics, the analysis of the front end process and the implementation of virtual models using augmented reality from the IT & logistics focus area, enhancing energy and cost efficiency through truck platooning from the drive technology sector, compensating vehicle body motion for augmented reality head-up displays from the field of electronics, the simulation of connected electrochemical cells to optimize high-volt battery testing from the production sector, and designing a specialist career path as an alternative career model from the HR field.

The Volkswagen Group PhD student program

PhD students at Volkswagen complete their doctorates within three years, cooperating closely with the universities and professors who support them as well as the relevant specialist department, which nominates a mentor to guide them during their research. There are opportunities for permanent employment at Volkswagen once the doctorate has been completed. The PhD student forum (Doktorandenkolleg) fosters networking among the young scientists and organizes activities in the form of working groups which it manages itself.

The specified fuel consumption and emission data have been determined according to the measurement procedures prescribed by law. Since 1st September 2017, certain new vehicles are already being type-approved according to the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), a more realistic test procedure for measuring fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Starting on September 1st 2018, the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) will be replaced by the WLTP in stages. Owing to the more realistic test conditions, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions measured according to the WLTP will, in many cases, be higher than those measured according to the NEDC. For further information on the differences between the WLTP and NEDC, please visit www.volkswagen.de/wltp.

We are currently still required by law to state the NEDC figures. In the case of new vehicles which have been type-approved according to the WLTP, the NEDC figures are derived from the WLTP data. It is possible to specify the WLTP figures voluntarily in addition until such time as this is required by law. In cases where the NEDC figures are specified as value ranges, these do not refer to a particular individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the sales offering. They are intended exclusively as a means of comparison between different vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (e.g. add-on parts, different tyre formats, etc.) may change the relevant vehicle parameters, such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics, and, in conjunction with weather and traffic conditions and individual driving style, may affect fuel consumption, electrical power consumption, CO2 emissions and the performance figures for the vehicle.

Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of new passenger car models”, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, D-73760 Ostfildern, Germany and at www.dat.de.